Market Intelligence: US Women’s Fragrances

Posted: May 30, 2007

Youth consumers become the targeted fragrance users

The US women’s fine fragrance category was worth ~$4.2 billion in 2006, according to a new report from Research and Markets. As older women are less likely to use fragrances, an aging domestic population is gradually draining the segment. This is due in part to the perception that older consumers are more sensitive—and thus more averse—to chemicals, including scents.

The strategy, then, has been to target teens—girls aged 12-17, particularly—with celebrity fragrance launches. Related to this is the fact that, according to the report, the perfume and cosmetic industries have spent a combined ~9% on advertising. In this emerging paradigm, the perfumer’s audience has shifted to a younger population that more readily embraces new innovations such as flavored scents and mood-elevating fragrances.